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E90/E91/E92/E93 (2006 - 2013) The E9X is the 4th evolution of the BMW 3 series including a highly tuned twin turbo 335i variant pushing out 300hp and 300 ft. lbs. of torque. BMW continues to show that it sets the bar for true driving performance! -- View the E9X Wiki

Hi all, I'm a routine stalker in the forums here, but I have put up a reply or two since registering (though not in a while). I wanted to take some time today out of my (way too busy...ugh) schedule to share a few things that I plan on doing with my car, after having bought it last year, and perhaps get some insight from the fine people here. I did Google most of what I'm about to say, but I'm craving some interaction with you hardcore folk. FFIW, I'm located in New Hampshire, so if there's a shop or something in the NH/MA area, I'd be glad to make the drive, though for things that are DIY, my father (I can't think of anything he doesn't know how to do around cars) and I can handle it.

Alright, so, in the current month, at least by the end of it, I'll be:

- Purchasing New Tires
- New Winshield
- Coolant Flush (More on that later)
- New Brake pads
- Fixing a paint chip or two (why can't people just leave my car alone...)

Anyway, for tires. My car came with Conti SSR's (3 of them), and one random ass tire that I don't really know the brand of. I've been using this setup for the past year, and I desperately need a balance (and alignment) at this point. What I was thinking about doing was swapping out the current tires for some Continental DWS's, non RFT of course. http://www.townfair.com/tftReadReview.aspx here is a link to the tires, and the price seems more than fair. I read a few threads where E90 drivers thought this was an overall great tire for any condition, and the ride was supple and quiet. If anyone would like to chime in with anything else, I'd greatly appreciate it. What I'm looking for is a decent price, and the ride to be quiet and comfortable, or at least as close as possible, while still maintaining the BMW feel! When I purchase tires, what should I need to check for? Do I need new sensors? If so, which ones? Best price? Order online? Do I need to know anything about Alignment and Balancing? Can I let Townfair tire do it for me, they're willing to mount and balance for free if I recall, and I believe alignment is included as well (not sure on that one yet). Would I be best off going to the BMW dealer, or is it unnecessary/much more expensive?

So, the new windshield then. I have a lot of pits from rocks (and a recent one RIGHT in my view) as well as a lot of little fine scratches (starryness) all over the windshield. It's definitely time for a new one. I have Statefarm, so I was planning on calling them up to get a quote done. Anything I should add when I call, such as the Rain Sensing Wiper mechanism as well as what types of glass/moldings/seals to use? Anyone have any experience with this? Greatly appreciate it!!

I've been meaning to do a coolant flush, though I am not sure if I should do it? I have no idea of knowing when the last one was, but I figure it can't hurt. Where's the best place to go ahead and do this? Should I buy the BMW 50/50 mix? How much do I need, etc.

Brake pads. I need new brake pads, not desperately, but I'd like to get some new ones. I was looking at Akebono Ceramics, but again, I'm open to best suggestions. I don't want to break the bank, but I do want quiet(ish) brakes that produce minimal to no dust, and have good bite.

I won't touch too much on the paint chip subject, but I do have a chip to the left of my drivers side door handle, looks like someone opened up their door (I PARK FAR AWAY!) and banged it up nicely. It's only about a dimes width, but it took the paint off definitely. What's the best procedure for taking car of this? I have all the tools necessary to repair it, just need some good instructions on what the best approach would be, as well as which touch-up paint to use (OEM BMW..? Best price..? Where..?).

Again, I apologize about the length of my post, and thanks very much for any help and input, I really appreciate this community and am glad to be a part of it.

- you dont have a sensor based pressure monitor, so you dont need to worry about that

- windshield replacement is about 4-500 out of pocket if you dont have glass coverage. I recently cracked my windshield and had OE saint gobain glass put in by safelite, perfect job.

- the dws is a fine choice. the bridgestone RE960AS rft is a 3rd generation runflat, reviews look stellar. rides like a go-flat with the rft capability. the dws probably has better snow performance though. check tirerack

-most of the low dust pads give up some bite. tirerack has a selection avail. i personally like the latest OEM compound, the pads on my 2010 barely dust and have almost the same bite as the ones on my 07

-coolant, just get a 1 gallon jug of bmw coolant and a 1 gallon jug of distilled water. cheaper than the premix.

- you dont have a sensor based pressure monitor, so you dont need to worry about that

- windshield replacement is about 4-500 out of pocket if you dont have glass coverage. I recently cracked my windshield and had OE saint gobain glass put in by safelite, perfect job.

- the dws is a fine choice. the bridgestone RE960AS rft is a 3rd generation runflat, reviews look stellar. rides like a go-flat with the rft capability. the dws probably has better snow performance though. check tirerack

-most of the low dust pads give up some bite. tirerack has a selection avail. i personally like the latest OEM compound, the pads on my 2010 barely dust and have almost the same bite as the ones on my 07

-coolant, just get a 1 gallon jug of bmw coolant and a 1 gallon jug of distilled water. cheaper than the premix.

Excellent, thanks. So no TPM inside my tires then, eh? I always thought they were a feature, hm. Color me stupid.- EDIT: I should have known better, FTM's is what the 06 E90 has. I'm looking at getting it mounted/balanced at Townfair Tire here in NH, but I need an Alignment as well...wondering if I should let these guys do that as well or if I should head to the dealer/an indy for that...

I think my deductible is like $200 or something, still need to call and figure everything out. I just want to make sure it won't leak or anything, everyone's telling me to get OEM/Pilkington and all that.

Will check out the OEM pads...if you say they've been improved that much.

The coolant solution sounds solid to me, I think I'll do the mixing myself to save myself a few bucks.